Ancient Celtic Coin Art

Wooden Books

by Simon Lilly

Little bigger than a fingernail, Celtic Coins are one of the richest sources of Celtic art in the world, and yet few people are even aware that they exist. With their strange otherworldly designs they evoke a forgotten time of magical beasts, amulets, druids and spirit helpers. In this extraordinary pocket volume, incredibly the first of its kind, Celtic coin artist and researcher Simon Lilly unveils the amazing lost world of early European art hidden in museums and private collections across the planet. With hundreds of original drawings by the author. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

Genres: History

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Owain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of pre-Roman era Celtic art. I've mostly only studied Celtic art from the era of Christian manuscripts and Celtic crosses which, despite having some noticeable influences from the earlier art, is markedly different. I have wondered if this was due to the particular media used to produce the art but I don't think it is. What this book has helped me do is to gain a sense of development of the Celtic culture over the centuries which has evolved along with the societal and religious changes that have happened. From what was evidently a highly communicative, symbolic form of art that could have been close to a system of written communication like hieroglyphics, to an almost purely decorative form whose main purpose became to complement and adorn actual writing and other objects.

What I would have liked from the book is a more in depth discussion around the images and their makers. Which I guess is hard since the societies that created them were living on the cusp of written history.

[Lucy Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really interesting and imaginative but I would have really liked references - mostly I'd like to follow parts up and it's difficult to!

[Lynds Perrott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small but powerful read. The illustrations are superb